THIS IS NOT A BOOK

Not only do we enjoy the company of fictional characters as we read a novel, watch a movie, or listen to a story, but we also become emotionally involved with them and their adventures. Ordinary interaction with fiction constitutes the starting point for the ongoing philosophical debate on the ontological and metaphysical status of fictional objects. This book addresses the contemporary debate on the ontological status of fiction, while offering a perspective sensitive to the problem of the criterion for discriminating between fiction and reality.